Ive added lots more photos on the school website. Just click on Zambian Link School and there's lots more pictures of our link school, the local areas, the animals and Victoria Falls. Let me know if you have any more questions! I am always happy to talk about my amazing experiences in Zambia.

Thank you so much for all of your questions! Hopefully these answers will give you all the information you need.

How many years are there at the school? The school in Zambia aren't organised in the same way as they are in the UK. The children work through grades not years. There are eight grades at our link school but children have to pass tests to move to the next grade. This means that they don't always move to the next grade every year. It also means that some classes might have children who are ten years old learning with children who are fifteen years old.

How nice is it to live in Zambia?I think the Zambian people love living in Zambia. The advantages are that the sun shines a lot and the people are very friendly. The disadvantages are that it is a lot harder to get around in Zambia. It can be surprising to see that some children live in houses without electricity and running water but they enjoy going to school and learning.

In Zambian do they have playpad?Our link school did not have a playpad. Many of the children walk to school by themselves. Some children will walk for 3 or 4 miles a day (over an hours walk) by themselves from the age of seven. When the children aren't at school they are expected to help around the house or school by cleaning, gardening or looking after relatives.

What is the highest average temperature in Zambia? Whilst I was in Zambia the temperature averaged 30 degrees celsius but temperatures of up to 42 degrees celsius.

How did the caterpillars taste? I can't really explain the taste of the caterpillars. I usually like lots of different foods but I didn't enjoy eating caterpillars. They had a strong flavour unlike anything I've tasted before!

What was it like in Zambia? Did you have fun in Zambia? Zambia was amazing! It was an extremely friendly country with lots of exciting things to see and do. The children were well behaved and enjoyed learning. I had a brilliant time and I have enjoyed coming back to the UK and telling all the children at Stafford Leys about it.

Today started with a whole school assembly just like at Stafford Leys. The children stood in class lines and welcomed me to their school. The teacher takes a register and then the children start their lessons. Phonics is the first lesson and today the children were learning 'a' and 'b'. They loved the stickers that we use at Stafford Leys. Most of the children had not seen a sticker before so it was a very special treat.

What are the classrooms like? Are the tables and chairs made of wood? What is the Zambian school made out of?

The tables and chair are made of wood and metal. The classrooms do not have a whiteboard or an interactive whiteboard. The teachers use a chalk board. The children do not display their work on the walks like we do at Stafford Leys. All the classrooms have windows to allow the fresh air in to try and keep then cool.

The school is made of concrete and many of the walls have been painted to make then look nice. A lot of the windows are broken and there are bars across many windows to stop people getting in a night.

There are nine classrooms in the school. There can be 50 children in each class at one time. The classrooms are shared so that one group will use them in the morning and another group will use them in the afternoon.

In one of the older classes the children were learning about Venn diagrams in maths and the human body in science. They do not learn by problem solving and working in groups like we do at Stafford Leys. Most of the time the children are copying from the board or a textbook in silence. All of the children bring their books to school with them everyday. Some children were carrying 13 books!

In Zambia it is two hours ahead of the UK. So when you start school at 8:45am at Stafford Leys it is already 10:45am in Zambia.

Where are you staying in Zambia?

Whilst visiting the school I have been staying in a lodge just down the road. I share a hut with a teacher from Hinckley. In the hut we have a bed and our bathroom.

How many classes are there in out link school?

There are 18 classes in school. Some of these are in the morning and some in the afternoon.

Is the school in a village or a town?

The school is in a large village surrounded by farms and small houses. It is close to a small town called Luanshya.

Do you travel a long distance to school?

Some of the children travel a long way to school. Most of the children walk to school and it can take as long as 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to school.

Do the children get to play in Zambia?

The children get a short break between their lessons. The morning break begins at 8:15am, before our lessons have even started!

Do they have hot dinners in Zambia?

No they do not have hot dinners in Zambia. All of the children go home for their lunch. Some children might bring a small snack into school with them such as corn on the cob, sweet potatoes and mangoes. Some of the children can't afford a snack so they don't eat anything all day. Other children have biscuits and crisps if their parents have more money.

This weekend I have visited the amazing Victoria Falls. It is one of the biggest waterfalls in the world and is absolutely breathtaking. It was very loud near the falls because of the amount of water falling over the falls. I got absolutely soaked because there is so much spray!

I've had lots of questions about the temperature in Zambia. It is very hot! It is 30 degrees C most days. I'm wearing suncream and staying out of the sun as much as possible to make sure that I don't burn.

Next week I will be visiting our link school in Zambia. Check our this blog for information

Author

Miss Bignell.

If you have any suggestions about information you would like to see on the school website then please contact Mr Kitchen or Miss Bignell. The information on this website was correct at the time of publishing. We do not accept responsibility for the content of external websites linked to our school website.